Eurozone unemployment continues to rise"The unemployment rate in the eurozone continued to rise in January, hitting another record high."The jobless rate in the 17 countries that use the euro rose to 10.7% in January, while December's figure was revised up from 10.4% to 10.6%."

"The size of India's 'informal' economy, meanwhile, handicaps efforts to track the number of Indians who are gainfully employed. Four out of five urban workers—who collectively produce an estimated three-quarters of the country's output—are informally employed."

U.S. Officials Escalate Warnings to Iran"Obama administration officials are escalating warnings that the U.S. could join Israel in attacking Iran if the Islamic republic doesn't dispel concerns that its nuclear-research program is aimed at producing weapons."

And before this is over, we'll be seeing many more TPTB members hiding from their own people. -- RFIsraeli drivers outraged over hike in gasoline price"Public outrage over the increase in gasoline prices to yet another all-time high from midnight Wednesday sent the government into panic, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally pushing for a tax cut to keep prices down."

Nigeria: Power Supply Worsens Nationwide, As Gas Supply Declines"Fresh facts have emerged that gas supply to the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) which provides natural gas to key thermal power stations in the country has declined by over 180m standard cubic feet in the last few days, leading to a considerable loss of electricity and power rationing nationwide."

Let the hopes build all they want. The bottom line is that this too would be part of the industrial system underpinned by fossil fuels, a system that is deteriorating quickly and heading toward collapse. -- RF

Japan says possible all reactors shut this summer"It is possible none of Japan's nuclear reactors, all but two of which were shut down after last year's Fukushima disaster, will be up and running this summer when electricity demand peaks, the trade minister said on Thursday."

A new nightmare: Radioactive ash has nowhere to go"Temporary disposal sites for incinerated ash containing radioactive cesium are rapidly filling up, and no alternative landfills are available."Many of 32 municipal governments and wider-area administrative organizations in seven eastern prefectures that operate waste incinerators are at their wits' end, an Asahi Shimbun survey has found."

Kansai department stores refocus to survive"Two Kansai-based department store operators are closing some of their major stores in the region and will try instead to focus more of their business resources on their profitable flagship stores in downtown areas."Biz Failures From Quake Jump To 4 Times Hanshin Temblor"TOKYO (Nikkei)--Bankruptcies stemming from March's earthquake reached 628 as of the end of February, roughly quadruple the number during the one-year period that followed the major Kobe-area quake in 1995, according to data released Thursday by Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd."

## UK ##

UK manufacturing curbed by high oil prices"Growth in the UK's manufacturing sector was held back by rising oil costs last month, a survey has indicated, with prices faced by firms rising at the fastest rate in 19 years."

Credit unions hit a record number of members"Credit unions hit a record number of members last year, as a growing number of consumers grew fed up with the fees at the nation's biggest banks and took their money elsewhere."

"As U.S. airlines continue to consolidate, travelers in many small and midsize cities are losing some connections to the nation's air network. The departure of low-cost carriers is a particular blow because many rely on them to keep fares in check."